Nepal Gen Z protestors want to keep Constitution, but monarchists seek change

Nepal’s army took charge of the country overnight, shutting down the extraordinary violence that swept the streets of Kathmandu on Tuesday and opening a dialogue with several representatives of the Gen Z that demolished the ancient regime over the last 48 hours.

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On a day on which an uneasy calm prevailed in Kathmandu, families mourned over 30 persons who had died in the protests while 1,000 have been injured. In the midst of this political and social turmoil, a handful of young Nepali men and women picked their first interim Prime Minister, via several online conversations between 5,000 people across the country.

Her name is Sushila Karki (73), whose reputation as a fierce anti-corruption crusader precedes her. She was Nepal’s first woman chief justice of the supreme court from July 2016 until June 7, 2017. She is widely respected for her integrity and her firm stance against political interference during her tenure as the chief justice, despite the challenges she faced from powerful political parties

Balen Shah, the much-talked about mayor of Kathmandu and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Rabi Lamichhane, were opposed to lead the interim government by the civil society representatives of the Gen Z movement.

The day was defined by several unexpected developments. After his address to the nation in which he appealed for calm at this desperate hour, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel reached out to a select group of representatives to hold the first discussion on what should come next.

Those invited were key Gen Z leaders, like Rakshya Bam, Tanuja Pandey, Samaya Khadka, Purusottam Yadav, Amit Khanal (Urja), Dheeraj Joshi, Yonjan Rajbhandari, Shiva Yadav and Barsha Budhathoki.

The meeting was facilitated by Asim Man Singh Basnet, CEO of Pathao, a popular ride service in Nepal, along with filmmaker Nischal Basnet.

Several participants told this reporter that the army chief stressed the need for a peaceful dialogue to form an interim government led by a representative from civil society. This proposal was supported by Sudan Gurung, head of the NGO Hami Nepali, which was part of the groups that had organised the all-important protest on Monday.

The main point of discussion, on how to govern the country, was discussed long and hard. The army chief encouraged the Gen Z protesters to meet Durga Parsain, a leader of the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), besides other leaders from the RSP whom he had invited at the discussion venue without the knowledge of the Gen Z protesters. They are believed to have proposed that key features of the 2015 Constitution of the republic should be dispensed with, for example its federal nature.

Some of the Gen Z leaders walked out when they were asked to meet Parsain and listen to his proposal to amend the federal nature of the republic, pointing out that it delicately balances the rights and responsibilities of the Madhesis who live in the Terai, along with the Janjatis and the upper caste Brahmins and Kshatriyas.

The right-wing leaders of the RPP and RSP also wanted to introduce a presidential form of government by making the President the head of state. They wanted to dispense with the proportional representation part of the Constitution and elect both Parliament as well as the President and the Vice-President through the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system.

Currently, Nepal's Constitution incorporates both FPTP and proportional representation electoral systems to ensure equal representation of all genders and communities in Parliament.

But the Gen Z representatives refused to consider altering the Constitution and the electoral system. The meeting ended with no concrete agreement.

“Nepal is in an unprecedented constitutional crisis,” senior supreme court lawyer Dinesh Tripathi told this reporter, adding, “Our Constitution has no provision for what is happening in the country and it offers no roadmap for what happens next.”

Nepal phase of deep uncertainty continues for another day, with one question reverberating through the minds of every Nepali citizen--what happens next?

If Sushila Karki does lead, her deep understanding of Nepal’s judicial system could help chart a path toward peace and stability. For now, Nepal waits--and the world watches--to see whether this unprecedented crisis becomes the beginning of a new chapter for the country or pushes it further into turmoil.